nous sommes arrivés
In French, the phrase 'we have arrived' is expressed as nous sommes arrivés.
The phrase is used to announce that one or more people have reached their destination.
Which one should you use?
While nous sommes arrivés is the standard form, Nous voilà is an idiomatic way to say 'Here we are'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
On est arrivés is an informal way to say 'We have arrived' and is frequently used in casual spoken French instead of the more formal nous sommes arrivés.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the informal expression On est rendus is used to mean 'We have arrived'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb arriver uses the auxiliary verb être to form the passé composé. The past participle arrivés ends in 's' to agree with the plural subject nous. If the group consists only of women, the past participle must take an extra 'e' to become nous sommes arrivées.
Did you know?
- Historically, using the singular 'I' je instead of 'we' nous in verbs was a common regional practice that was often mocked by 15th-century playwrights as 'peasant-like'.
- In Quebec, you might hear On est rendus to mean 'we have arrived', using a verb that literally means 'to be rendered' or 'to be brought'.
- Related versions of 'we' can be found in other regional languages of France, such as nosautres in Occitan and nosaltres in Catalan.
Examples in context
- Nous sommes arrivés.We have arrived.This sentence shows the basic use of nous sommes arrivés.Tatoeba #1313625 by sacredceltic, translation #2241103 by CK
- Nous sommes arrivés sains et saufs.We have arrived safe and sound.This sentence uses nous sommes arrivés to express arriving safe and sound.Tatoeba #2934097 by Popolon, translation #1522475 by CC
- Lors de notre voyage d'affaires, nous sommes arrivés à destination à l'heure prévue.During our business trip, we arrived at the destination on time.
- Nous sommes arrivés en sécurité malgré les conditions météorologiques difficiles.We have arrived safely despite the challenging weather conditions.
- Les gars, on est arrivés ! Où est-ce qu'on se retrouve ?Guys, we have arrived! Where should we meet up?
- Regarde, nous voilà enfin à la plage !Look, here we are at the beach, finally!
- On est arrivés à bon port sans encombre.We arrived safely without any issues.
- Enfin, nous sommes arrivés à l'hôtel.Finally, we have arrived at the hotel.
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are getting out of a taxi at the airport.
- HugoEnfin ! Nous sommes arrivés.Finally! We have arrived.
- EmmaC'était un long voyage, Hugo.It was a long trip, Hugo.
- HugoOui, je suis fatigué.Yes, I am tired.
- EmmaAllons chercher nos bagages, Emma.Let's go get our luggage, Emma.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
